Significance of Naga Puja on Nag Panchami

Nag Panchami is an important festival in India and Nepal. It is a day when Hindus worship snakes and serpents. But why do they do so? What is the real story? Find out below!
Nag Panchami Vrath Katha:
There are two stories that tell us why we celebrate Nag Panchami, i.e. how this day came to be celebrated as a day to worship snakes:
Sarpa Satra: In the Sarpa Satra, it is shown that King Janamejaya performed an important Yagya before he set out to destroy all the snakes and serpents, i.e.the entire Naga clan. Disturbed by such news, the Nagas approached Lord Brahma who assured them that in their next birth they would be worshipped as Gods due to a great soul called Asthika. Therefore, in the month of Shravan on Shukla Paksha Panchami, Nag Panchami is celebrated as a day of snake worship.
As per the Bhavishyottara Purana, it is said that Lord Shiva narrated the story of nag Panchami to Ma Parvati:
Once upon a time, a farmer was digging his field. When he struck his shovel near a tree, accidently a baby snake died. The snake mother was enraged so she killed the entire family of the farmer, including the farmer for revenge. However, this was not enough for the mother snake and she vowed to kill the farmer’s married daughter who lived in the next village. On arriving at the daughter’s house, she saw that the young lady was doing Naga Puja. This pleased her greatly and she forgave the farmer’s act, sparing the daughter’s life. She also revived the dead farmer and his family.